Implementation of the Plan

Question: Discuss about the Implementation of the Plan. Answer: Introduction: According to Fossil Free Australia (Fossil Free Australia 2016), the education and awareness of climate change is brought to the students in learning institutions including universities. In the site, it is claimed that universities as learning institutions are responsible for showing the students that climate change is brought about by the green house effect through the release of green house gasses that are emitted by the use of fossil fuels. It is ironical, however, that the same universities still use fossil fuels in their institutions for various purposes. As such there was an uprising group of students from different universities who took up the task so boldly to confront the use of fossil fuels in the very universities that teaches about climate change being caused by the use of fossil fuels. The students confronted the issue through campaigns that were planned and executed accordingly. One successful eradication of the use of fossil fuels was done in Queensland University of T echnology, where their campaign yielded positive results and the university decided to diversify from the use of fossil fuels (McGahan 2016). The processes and methods that were used in various universities were different and had to follow a specific plan that was set in order to realize their objectives. Some of the processes and the universities associated with them are discussed below. In the University of Auckland, the concerned group of students targeted their Vice Chancellor, Stuart McCutcheon (as the spokesperson and face of the university) in an effort to use him to spear head the campaign of making the university divest from all fossil fuel related industries. The students targeted the University Council as well since they are the ones in control of the finances of the University (Auckland.ac.nz 2016). In Oxford University, their campaign group consists of students, academics and alumni of that university. Their target is to diversify all the endowment the university has for fossil fuels-related industries. Recently, the campaign has managed to convince the university administration to diversify the use of fossil fuels and the university has complied by not having direct investment in coal or tar sands companies. In as much as they have achieved their objective, the group of students from Oxford University is still moving forward to ensure that all investment of the university is fossil-free. Holly Musgrove has initiated the fossil free campaign in the University of York. In the campaign calendar so far, he is at the stage of acquiring signatures to petition the university to divest from fossil fuels. In the website Fossil Free, he has addressed a letter to the university stating the disadvantages of fossil fuels and the reasons to divest from them. He states that one of the key policies of the university is to minimize environmental impacts and enhance the environment. In line of this policy, there is more than enough reason as convince the university council to enforce their policy and not just have it there for the sake of it. In the site, Holly calls upon the university to cease investment with industries affiliated to fossil fuels either directly or indirectly, to invest in a bank that is more ethical and with the same goals as the university, to produce a public statement that indicates the steps it is taking towards the above stated requests and to carry out all th e activities leading towards total divestment from the use of fossil fuels within a time period of five years (Musgrove 2014). Many more universities have groups advocating for the divestment in fossil fuels. It can be concluded that there are a few students out there that are sincerely concerned with the well being of the world. Their goals are to stop climate change and they have found universities as the best forums to air their views and get more people to join their course. Reference List Auckland.ac.nz 2016, Fossil Free UoA - The University of Auckland, viewed 22 September 2016, https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/for/current-students/cs-life-at-auckland/clubs-and-societies/club-listings/Fossil-Free.html Fossil Free Australia 2016, Fossil Free Unis, viewed 22 September 2016 https://gofossilfree.org.au/fossil-free-unis/ McGahan, T 2016, The day I found out wed made history, Australian Unis Go Fossil Free, web log post, 7 September, viewed 22 September 2016, https://gofossilfree.org/australianunis/2016/09/07/621/ Musgrove, H 2014, Our Vision: A Fossil Free Future for the University of York, Fossil Free. viewed 22 Sep. 2016, https://campaigns.gofossilfree.org/petitions/our-vision-a-fossil-free-future-for-the-university-of-york.